We want to thank the Real Estate Buyer's Council (REBAC) for forwarding us this great list! For all potential home buyer's seeking a new home, be sure to go over this list to ensure everything meets your requirements.

Step One: The Home

Here is everything you will want to look over and ask about for each house that you look at:

Square footage

Number of bedrooms

Number of full baths

Number of half-baths

Condition of walls (interior)

Closet/storage space

Kitchen storage space

Basement – well kept? any strange odors? no mildrew or mold?

Fireplace

Cable TV/Internet

Exterior appearance (condition of outdoor walls, overall appearance)

Front and back lawn areas

Deck/porch/patio?

Fence

Garage

Windows/screens

Age and condition of roof

Step Two: The Neighborhood

Here is everything you’ll want to ask about, look into, and research about the neighborhood you move into:

Appearance/condition of neighboring homes

Safety

Noise level

Traffic issues

Kid-friendly? Average number of children per residence?

Parking

Police

Fire Protection

Pet restrictions

Parks/recreational facilities

Trash removal

Step Three: Schools

If you have children or are looking to start a family in the next few years, here are the things you’ll want to check for in relation to education:

Age/condition of schools and buildings

Reputation of school district

Test scores of current students

Quality of teachers and educators

Private school locations (if you’d prefer private school)

Play areas/playgrounds

Class sizes

Curriculum

School safety

Step Four: Community

It’s important to live in an area where you not only love your house, but you feel at home in the community. Here are some things you’ll want to ask about:

As an Island community, we depend on the ferry system to engage in our daily lives. There are some important changes happening with the BC Ferries Corporation. Follow the link below for more information.

November 2013 Market Update

October was a good month. The sun was shining, the Canucks had their best 7-game road trip in franchise history, and the housing market was strong. So far this fall, it seems as though house prices and sales have moved into a healthy balanced market in most parts of the province. Well-priced product sells while overpriced product sits. It's the way a market should be.

Moving into November, a few things from the past month have been interesting vis-Ã -vis the BC housing market. Firstly, the US government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis had a negligible effect on both the BC housing market and financial markets in general. It seems as though most people have already priced US government dysfunction into their decision-making process. So, barring a black-swan event, it seems as though these US crises' are unlikely to significantly swing the housing market in BC one way or another.

Secondly, the Bank of Canada has eased its language on raising rates and is now taking a more neutral stance, stating that the market will decide when the bank should raise interest rates. For the past year or so, most analysts had predicted that rates would be rising sooner rather than later. This sentiment has resulted in increased sales as buyers moved into the market ahead of an expected rate increase. With rates now stable, buyers will take their time, but will also still be in the market for a longer period.

Thirdly, while the US economy has had an anemic recovery from the 2008 recession, things are still improving. This is being led by the US real estate market, which is finally recovering from its 35-month peak-to-trough period which started in 2006. With an improving economy, comes improved consumer confidence, as Canadians hear more and more about positive trends south of the border.

While we likely won't see the exponential growth in prices that we experienced from 2009-2010, the factors described above imply that BC's real estate market should remain relatively stable for the foreseeable future.

Finally, on another note, Macdonald Realty has been producing a great quarterly magazine showcasing BC's finest real estate. If you're interested in having your home profiled in this publication, please contact me at the address below. You can find a link to the first 3 digital editions of the magazine here:http://www.macrealty.com/luxurymagazine

*This communication is not intended to cause or induce breach of an existing agency agreement.

*Although this information has been received from sources deemed reliable, we assume no responsibility for its accuracy, and without offering advice, make this submission to prior sale or lease, change in price or terms, and withdrawal without notice.**Should you not wish to receive this communication, please reply to this email with "Please Unsubscribe" in the subject line.